adventures in home-making

Flu blues.

Patrick felt unusually icky this past week and weekend... I have a feeling he won't fight me on the value of the flu vaccine next year. Then Micah got the flu and went a little wild on the Tamiflu (we decided to discontinue it) but she feels tons better. Now Max has high fever and flu-like symptoms. 

Meanwhile, I have spring fever- just aching to get outside and run but nurse duties allow nothing of the sort. Hoping that everyone feels better tomorrow.

Oh. here is a photo from this past week- a regular evening stroll in the McFarland Mall, which looks like it may close down soon. As you can see, Micah does not ride in her stroller (I think she rode in it a total of 5 times during her life) but she does enjoy pushing it around. Woe to the man or woman who tries to assist her! And then Prince Max wanted to wear his dragon costume, and I didn't have any arguments against it, so off we went... I love my family. Even if we scare people at the mall sometimes.

7 months and getting bigger.

We took the kids to the old golf course turned dog park this afternoon so they could torture young, childless college students who are test-driving pooches. The trees are blooming, and the sky was ripe with thunderstorm potential- that beautiful Southern spring mix.

  

 
 

More baby names that start with M.

Patrick and I have reached a space of indecision about baby names, and we would love your suggestions and/or kind opinions. To vote pro/con on some of the names we've considered so far, take a minute to visit this link. We'd love some input. 

Parsley salad recipe.

Spring in Alabama tends to be quite warm, and the thought of my third trimester spent boiling in the Bama heat is not always the most pleasant one. Hence the recipe.

To make the parsley salad dressing, you will need:

• 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil

To make the salad, you will need:

• 4 cups washed curly parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 6-8 thinly sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Directions: In a large glass or stainless steel salad bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Add all of the salad ingredients to the bowl and toss to coat with dressing.

Scenes from a conception.

Patrick and I both believe this little baby was conceived during a beach trip last September with Nick. So, in memory of the trip or to salute its consequences, a few photos from the beach trip that brought a new little person into our lives.

 

 

What to do with the Micah and the new baby?

 

Micah still likes to sleep on my back like this... What will she do with the new baby? When I think about how Micah will respond, I admit to being a little frightened. Take a deep breath and take the days as they come.

A piano recital.

Max's piano lessons with Ms. Beddingfield have been wonderful- he looks forward to every Friday like a child promised chocolate. Micah, on the other hand, cannot contain her envy of the piano which captures Max's attention. Whenever he tries to practice, she runs to the piano and cries until he allows her to climb on the bench with him and accompany his tune. This does not make for good practice sessions (though Max's practice in patience has grown exponentially), so Max usually reserves practice sessions for the times when Micah is either sleeping, absent, or locked in a different room with me.

A few photos of Micah attempting to interfere with Parker's piano performance... she is rarely interested in the piano unless someone else begins to play. As you can see, Micah appears to be more amused than Parker by her accompaniments.

 

Max and Micah scope out the tent.

Our tent at Tannehill, where we witnessed "Sparks in the Dark", a cool program in which welders and blacksmiths cast iron and created fireworks for us and a google of Boy Scouts.

 

Making quiche with Max.

Thanks to a Winn Dixie sale on Italian shredded cheese, we had all the ingredients to make a quiche today. Max quickly offered to be my sous-chef, and we improvised on a recipe for Quiche Lorraine together.

Ingredients:

1 (9 inch) unbaked (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell

6 pieces of chopped ham

1/2 cup chopped green onion

1 1/2 cups shredded Italian cheeses 

1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated Milk

3 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cook the ham in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add a little olive oil if it starts to stick. When the ham starts to turn brown, add the green onion. Cook until the onion is slightly translucent or browned. 
3. Sprinkle cheese into bottom of pie shell. Top with ham and green onion mixture. 
4. Combine evaporated milk, eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg in small bowl until blended. Pour into pie shell.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes on wire rack before serving.

Free Arts Festival on March 27th.

DCAF is a family friendly environment, free and open to the public from the hours of 2pm to 9pm. The DCAF After Party (10pm-2am) spans across downtown Tuscaloosa to participating venues hosting DCAF bands. For $5 you can purchase a DCAF wristband which acts as your cover to our participating venues. For that one night only, most of these participating venues will grant access to patrons ages 19+! Support an important cause…Benefits of the Druid City Music Festival will go to create a Tuscaloosa Arts Education Grant!

Black Warrior Storytelling Festival on Sunday March, 28th.

The second annual Black Warrior Storytelling Festival will be held on March 28th, 2010 from 1:00-6:00 P.M. at the Park at Manderson Landing off of Jack Warner Parkway in Tuscaloosa. This free and entertaining event along the banks of the Black Warrior River will be for all ages, so bring your picnic blanket and be entertained by storytellers, University of Alabama dancers, Drum Circle, and artists. 

Tasty sandwiches from McAlister's Deli will be available for purchase. The festival will feature original stories about Civil Rights, sports, life in the South, and so much more! Enjoy an inspirational afternoon for our community because everyone has a story to tell.

Kathryn White will be conducting several children’s programs on site while there will also be various activities for young children and adults to participate in such as journaling booths, live paint sessions, UA Outdoor Recreation stories and demonstrations.

An old unpublished post preparing for Micah's birth.

Patrick painted the room for Micah and Max in less than tree days, and it looks downright devastatingly beautiful! We used Olympic paint from Lowe's in Blue Bayou, which we thought would be VOC-free but discovered that we had been duped. The walls are charming anyway. Now I just need to decide on a color scheme....

Black sheep on beige
Deep forest fern in natural
Folklore floral on natural
Folklore forest on orange
Happy Street map on natural
Homemade birds in sky blue
Roman glass on dusty pink
Giant trees on blue
My folklore flower scatter on black
Bugs and flowers on natural
#21 orange pink and purple all over print
#29 batik red-orange with green and yellow
Lightning bugs in orange, blue, and tan dot 1318

I could use one of the fabrics above to make a Nigella Quilt with the help of Amy Butler's free pattern (in pdf). Lots more free pattern links available online courtesy of Erica Fabrics. I could also use one fabric as a background or base for these connect-the-dot pillows.

Ant picnic trim
Locomotive trim

I thought about tea-dying a white duvet cover with khaki, gray, orange, and different shades of blue, but my ambition never gets the best of me.

Now for adding details:

• ABC fabric magnets
• Molly's star ornaments to hang from a string over his bed
• Swatch portraits with one of the fabrics above
• Duvet cover for Max's bed

WUAL: Ala. Midwives Look To Be Included As A Birthing Option (2010-02-09)

WUAL: Ala. Midwives Look To Be Included As A Birthing Option (2010-02-09).